A/N: I'm gonna be fixing up some stuff in the chapters, like dialogue and things. The first half of the prologue has basically been replaced. While I liked it, it just didn't fit in with the story. The author's notes will also be removed, this one included once I'm done with all the rest of it. From now, I'm going to reserve them for information regarding the story, or thoughts on the chapter. I'll try to have the next update out as soon as possible. School had me busy, as I had a few projects that required most of my attention and some personal struggles. I'm officially done with school, so I should have some more free time…for a couple of months, anyway.

Judai found himself awake just as the sun was coming up. He wasn't used to being an early riser; he typical slept in. After a few minutes of trying to get back to sleep, he carefully sat up and watched the sunrise. His time in the Digital World had messed with his sleep schedule, so he wasn't too surprised by the fact that he had woken up so early. Being chased by Digimon who are out to kill them was mostly to blame for that. He wasn't complaining though. Things could've gone terribly wrong for them.

Not that what happened hadn't been bad. It had been horrible.

He rubbed his eyes, fighting a yawn. Thinking about that just made him feel terrible. To get his mind off of it, he looked down at his partner. Dorumon was sleeping soundly beside him, curled up with his own blanket wrapped around him. The little Digimon had been sleeping longer than Judai, having fallen asleep before him. How he could still be asleep was beyond Judai, but the boy was glad his friend was getting some much deserved rest.

Nature called, so Judai slipped off the bed and into the bathroom. When he came back out, Dorumon was awake—or at least half-awake—and blinked a few times before his eyes landed on Judai.

"Oh, hey," Judai said. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No," Dorumon mumbled. "Why are you up?"

"Had to go to the bathroom." He walked over and sat down, stretching his arms out. "So, what do you think we should do today?"

"Relax and sleep?"

"We can do that when we go back. There's a lot of stuff you haven't gotten to see yet."

"You're gonna keep treating me like a dog, aren't you?" Dorumon asked, ears lowering.

"We have to, bud. You know that. Who knows what the hotel management would think if they found out you're a monster from a different world. They'd probably freak out."

"But it's weird. I don't like it."

The boy grunted, trying to think of a way to make his friend feel better. "How about this: I won't pretend you're a dog after today. That good?"

"Really?"

Judai laughed, rubbing Dorumon's head. "Yep. Promise."

"…Okay," Dorumon said. "Can we get some food? I'm hungry."

"Sure. Let me jot down a note to stick on the door so mom and dad know where we went."

He found a stack of sticky notes, luckily, and quickly scribbled down that they were going down to the cafeteria for breakfast. He grabbed the keycard for the room and ushered Dorumon out. Once the door was shut, Judai made sure the sticky note was attached to the door before heading down the hallway. Neither he nor Dorumon were worried about hiding the Digimon. There had been an "incident" the day before, so the cafeteria workers knew Dorumon. They didn't know what he was; Judai and his parents had told them that Dorumon was an exotic animal who had gotten into some non-toxic hair dye. It was pure luck that the workers had bought it, but Judai was glad they did.

The duo was greeted by a rather cheerful woman as soon as they entered. She waved the ladle she held in her hands at them, having no concern for the bit of food on it. Judai smiled and waved back, laughing.

"Morning! You're up awfully early!" She commented.

"Way earlier than normal," he said. "Any suggestions for breakfast?"

"How about this sausage and gravy? Josh made it. It's really good!"

"Josh?"

"The American who works here! He said it's his special recipe. I had some earlier and it's mouthwatering!"

"You sound like a commercial," Judai said with a laugh. "Sure, I'll try it."

"Coming right up! Does the little guy want some too?"

She looked down at Dorumon when she asked. Blinking, the Digimon rapidly nodded his head, eager to try the food. Grinning, the woman used the ladle to scoop up the food and put in into a couple of bowls.

"Do you want to eat it with a spoon or with bread?"

"Um…just a spoon, please."

"Okay!"

She stuck the spoon in one of the bowls and held both out to Judai. With a 'thank you,' he walked over to one of the tables and sat down. Dorumon hurried over, hopping onto one of the chairs. The blond set his bowl down in front of him and slid the other over to where Dorumon could reach. The Digimon happily dug in. Judai nearly spit out the bite he had taken while watching his partner.

They didn't talk much. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but that there really wasn't much to talk about—nothing that they hadn't already talked about, at least. Neither of them wanted to discuss their time in the Digital World and Judai wasn't in the mood to explain anything. Instead, the two enjoyed their food in peace. They were starting on their second serving when Judai's parents came into the room. He looked up at them and took a bite of his food.

"Enjoying yourselves?" His dad asked. "So, what're you eating?"

"Sausage and gravy."

"Ah." The man slid into the seat beside his son and leaned forward. "Why are you up so early? You normally sleep in."

Judai shrugged. "I just couldn't sleep. Aren't you going to eat?"

"Ha-ha, yes. Honey, will you get me some egg rolls and coffee?"

"Of course, darling."

Judai stuck his tongue out with a laugh. "You two are gross."

"Son, one day you'll find the person of your dreams and marry them."

"Yeah, well, I hope we're not as gross as you."

Judai found his hair being ruffled and attempted to push his father away from him while laughing. While the two tussled, the blond's mother slid a plate in front of her husband and sat down. Noticing the food, the boy's dad pulled away to begin eating. Dorumon finished his bowl, licking his lips clean.

"What do you want to do today?"

"We didn't go on any really exciting rides yesterday, so I was thinking about riding one of the roller coasters today."

"I think I like that idea. I'll ride with you."

Judai's mom chuckled. "Hope you two have fun with that. I'll stay with Dorumon instead."

"Aw, come on, mom. It'll be great."

She smiled. "Have fun."

"Okay, okay. Don't bite my head off."

Half an hour later, the family was walking through Fuji-Q Highland to head to the Fujiyama. Judai was excited to ride it. When they were finally standing in line, he was rocking on the heel of his feet to contain his enthusiasm. His mom took Dorumon and headed off.

I should probably be worried about that, but who cares! I get to ride the Fujiyama!

"Calm down there, champ. I don't remember you ever being quite this excited about this kind of thing."

"To be fair, I was gone for a whole month. I learned a lot during that time, but it made me want to have fun."

"Er…right. About that—"

"We're up!"

Paying no attention to the sigh from his father, Judai hurried to take a seat on the coaster. The exasperated man took a seat beside the boy, an anxious look on his face.

~0~

"Hmm…I have no idea what to do."

Mrs. Inuzuka tapped her chin thoughtfully. Dorumon, standing beside her, tilted his head upwards in order to look at her. He wasn't used to being away from Judai, let alone being with someone who he barely knew; the fact that she was Judai's mother didn't help to make Dorumon feel better in the slightest. Multiple past experiences proved that being separated was a horrible idea. This entire trip made him uneasy because of that simple fact.

Trying to help her decide, he spoke up. "Well, what do you want to do?"

The woman paused to look down at him. "Sorry, I'm still not used to you being able to talk. Problem is I just don't know. I guess we could go to one of the food stands. Oh! I should get you some cotton candy. You can eat that, right?"

He had eaten plenty of human food already, so more of it couldn't possibly hurt him. "Yes. Maybe? Probably."

"Cotton candy it is! Follow me."

She began walking away. Dorumon blinked and followed her, somewhat confused. It wasn't her behavior, per se. Rather, it was her eagerness to have him try more human food. His train of thought halted. Wait, would that be a part of her behavior?

"Hurry up."

"O-okay!"

I guess things could be worse.

There were no enemies chasing them, no immediate threat of attacks, and they weren't having to run for their lives. It had been a long time since things had been so peaceful. The last time he could remember was before he met the others, but even then there had been conflict. The rebellion by Laylamon had begun to gain momentum during that time.

I wonder if she was different then. Had she been doing it for a good reason? The thought led him to shake his head. I doubt it. Someone so rotten couldn't possibly do something to help others.

He nearly ran into Mrs. Inuzuka when she stopped. Dorumon moved to stand beside her. Raising his head, he watched the young man leaning against the counter of the food stand.

"Two cotton candy cones, please."

"Coming right up."

Is Judai having fun? The little purple Digimon couldn't help but worry about the boy. He was sure there was no reason to, but there was a nagging sensation in the back of his mind. Maybe it was nothing. He just being paranoid, right? That had to be it.

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

The woman motioned for Dorumon to follow her to a nearby table. He trotted up to it and jumped up onto the bench she sat down at. She held out one of the cotton candy cones to him, and then frowned.

"Can you hold this?"

He let out a laugh that sounded like a snort. "Yes," he said, grabbing it. "See?"

"Try it!"

Instead of immediately biting into it, he waited for her to take a bite of hers first. It took her a moment to realize that fact, but once she did, she began eating. Dorumon took a bite of his and immediately found himself drooling.

This is so sweet! I'm not even sure how to describe it!

"What do you think?" When he didn't answer, she waved her hand at him to get his attention. "Well?"

"This is really good," he whispered before ripping off more.

"So you like it? That's great."

She smiled at him, making him hide his face behind the cotton candy he had left. Maybe he was being paranoid for no reason.

Nothing's wrong and I'm having fun. I should enjoy this while I can.

"You look like you're thinking."

Dorumon shifted uncomfortably and nodded. "Maybe a little bit."

"A little bit? More like a lot."

"Okay, yeah, I am."

She leaned against the table, giving him a curious look that was more or less asking him to explain.

"Well, it's just that it's so peaceful here compared to the Digital World. It was peaceful before Laylamon came into power, but after that it was hard to go from day to day without being afraid. At then after we met our partners, it just got worse. When it seemed like we'd be able to catch a break, we'd get attacked, chased, or have to help someone. Not that I'm complaining about being helpful, but it just happened so often. We rescued a lot of Digimon and protected towns. It was so tiring and—"

He cut himself off, staring sheepishly. He looked down at the empty cone in his paw with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Sorry. I'm rambling."

The woman laughed softly, reaching over to rub his head. Dorumon was sure that she would've been able to see him blushing if he didn't have so much fur.

"It's okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes. It happens to everyone. You should talk to Judai about it, though. It might make you feel better."

"O-okay. I will."

She sat up, looking in the direction where they had come from. From their seats, they could see the roller coaster. "It shouldn't be long until they're done. Do you want to go wait for them?"

"Yeah."

As she stood, she made sure to rub his head again. Her hand slipped down to her side when she began walking off. Dorumon let himself slide down to the ground and began to trot after her. The air of calmness around her made him feel better; it didn't relieve the dreadful feeling he had.

Why couldn't things have been like this in the Digital World? He had to keep himself from letting out a laugh. Because of a psychotic Digimon.

Just as he finished the thought, Dorumon found himself stopping in his tracks. Mrs. Inuzuka took notice and turned to face him, a concerned look on her face. He heard her ask him something, but he didn't fully register it. The dread came back full force. His stomach twisted into a knot. A low din of curious voices began, only to swell within the matter of ten seconds. Slowly, the little Digimon turned around and looked up at the sky.

No matter how much he wished the feeling in his gut was wrong, he was staring right at the truth.

A portal had opened.

Green, scaled hands shot out, grabbing the edges of it. Slowly, a massive dragon pulled itself out of the portal, inching his way in the human world.

Dorumon spun around. "Mrs. Inuzuka, run! Go get Judai!"

"B-but what is that? What about you?"

"I'll be fine! I need to distract him so everyone else can escape!" He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Go get Judai."

Mrs. Inuzuka stared at him before nodding. "Alright."

Dorumon watched her run off, and then turned his attention to the massive dragon that had dropped down. The ground shook, forcing Dorumon to grab onto a pole to steady himself. Humans screamed, fleeing from the Digimon that was stomping about.

"Hey!" Dorumon shouted over the din. He swallowed when the dragon swiveled its head to look at him. "Leave the humans alone!"

"What, pray tell, do you think you can do?" The dragon asked.

"Fight you!" The statement came out with less strength and more fear than Dorumon wanted. "I-I won't let you hurt anyone!"

The dragon began to laugh, the sound making Dorumon shrink back with a whine.

Please hurry.

~0~

Judai should've guessed that something would happen to ruin his day. He should've seen it coming from a mile away. He had just been so caught up in the idea of having fun that it hadn't even crossed his mind. So when the entire amusement park seemed to go quiet just as he and his father were getting off the roller coaster, only for terrified screams to start, he had been surprised. That had followed with a sense of fear when he saw why nearly every person in the park had begun screaming, because there was a giant Digimon in the direction where his best friend and mother had gone off to.

The blond took a step forward.

His father clamped a hand down on his shoulder to stop him.

"What are you doing?"

"Dad, let me go! You don't—"

His words died in his throat upon seeing his mother running full forced towards the two. She came to a stop in front of them, clearly winded.

"Dorumon told me—told me to get you," she gasped.

That made Judai jerk his shoulder of out his father's grasp and go running past his mother.

"Judai, wait! It's too dangerous!"

He threw a glance over his shoulder at his father. "I have to! I have to protect you and mom! And everyone else!"

The boy ran as fast as he could, pushing his legs to go faster than they ever had. He pulled his Digivice from his pocket, clutching it tightly in his hand. Before he knew it he came to a stop, breathing heavily, only a few feet from his partner and the intruding Digimon. Dorumon's eyes lit up when he saw the blond, relieved that he had made it.

"Majiramon, huh?" Judai mumbled, looking at his Digivice. "What makes you think you have the right to come into my world and terrorize people?"

The dragon merely laughed. "I am a Deva! My orders come Lady Laylamon herself. If you think I am going to let some child and his weakling pet stop me, then you must be stupid!"

"You're the stupid one! We're not gonna sit back and let you hurt anyone!" Judai snapped, holding up his Digivice. "Let's go, Dorumon!"

"Dorumon Digivolve to Dorugamon!"

The Champion glared up defiantly at Majiramon despite the fear in his eyes.

"I will spare you the theatrics, simply because I do not feel like playing. Allow me to show you how easy it is for me to defeat you."

He raised his massive hand and swung, smacking Dorugamon aside with little effort. Judai realized too late that his partner was heading straight for him, and found himself knocked to the ground and pinned under Dorugamon. Eyes wide, Judai could only stare as Majiramon plucked the injured Digimon up and held him between two claws.

"You see?" Majiramon sneered. "With a single flick of my wrist I was able to hurt you. What do you think would happen if I bothered to try?"

He let go, watching Dorugamon fall to the ground.

"I must admit that your willingness to face a foe that you have no hope of beating is admirable. If you leave behind that pitiful human, I may spare you."

"What makes you think…I'd do that?"

"Then you can both give up, and stay out of my way."

To say that Judai hurt was an understatement. His ribs protested when he moved, but he used a table to pull himself halfway to his feet. Leaning against it heavily, the boy stared at his partner, who was sprawled on the ground. The injured Digimon met his eyes, fear, anger, and sadness mixed together in his gaze. Judai squeezed the table, unsure of what to do but knowing deep down that he had to do something.

What could he do, though?

He was useless; he had always been useless. Most of his life had been spent sitting in front of a TV screen until absurd hours of the night. He had basically tossed his education to the side in favor of having fun. It wasn't until he had gone to the Digital World that he had actually bothered trying to change, but what good had that done?

It was that moment that he remembered what Daiki had said to him.

I want you to do something with your life.

So did he. Judai wanted to make his life matter; give it meaning. And he knew what he wanted to do.

"We're not gonna give up!" He shouted. The anger building up in Judai's chest was giving him the courage to speak. "We won't until we can't fight anymore! Because that's what being a DigiDestined is about! It's about protecting everything that makes life what it is!"

Dorugamon struggled to push his body up.

By then the blond was standing on his own, legs shaking but holding his weight. "And that's what I'm going to do. You've dedicated your life to ruining others' lives, so I'm gonna dedicate mine to saving them. I'll do whatever it takes, and I know my partner will too. So go ahead. Throw whatever you've got at us!"

A surge of power allowed Dorugamon to stand just as his body began to change. He grew, becoming larger, two sets of wings sprouting from his back. Within moments the large red and white Digimon stood eye to eye with Majiramon, red eyes narrowing. He flexed his wings, digging his claws into the ground. Judai gaped up at his partner, a smile spreading across his face. Shock registered in Majiramon's eyes.

"This," DoruGreymon snarled, "is the last time you ever hurt anyone!"

He charged, throwing his full body weight against Majiramon. The dragon reacted in time to grab DoruGreymon, but still ended up on the ground with the red Digimon on top of him. DoruGreymon latched his mouth onto Majiramon's neck, earning a roar as the green dragon attempted to free himself. His hands grabbed hold of DoruGreymon's shoulders while he planted his feet against the beast's stomach, and he pushed, only for the DoruGreymon to clench his jaw tighter.

Angry, Majiramon let go and spit out a ball of fire that exploded against the red Digimon's shoulder. With a partially muffled cry, DoruGreymon let go and fanned the flames out with his wings. This gave Majiramon enough time to get to his feet and last out at the other dragon.

Judai watched, biting down on his knuckles to keep the anxiety he was feeling in check. He tore his eyes away from the fight long enough to check his surroundings, making sure that everyone had gotten away. Not once had he stopped to think that someone might call the cops.

Naturally, someone had done just that.

Why do these things happen to me? He thought desperately. What am I supposed to do now? Yell at the police?

Guns were raised, and a one of the police officers began to approach the boy. He took a step back, eyes darting between the officers and the fighting Digimon. He didn't have a choice.

Yelling at the police it is.

"What are you doing here, kid? You need to leave!"

"No, you need to leave!" Judai shouted, waving his arms. "It's too dangerous for a bunch of people, guns or no guns!"

"What're you talkin' about? A kid like you can't be here. There's two monsters fighting!"

"Are you deaf or what? Go away! My partner and I got this covered! You'll just get in the way!"

"Partner? What—it doesn't matter. You're coming with me."

The man grabbed Judai's arm, yanking him forward. Judai let out a surprised yelp just as something crashed down behind him. He pulled his arm free, turning around to see DoruGreymon being pinned down by Majiramon. Eyes wide, Judai made to run over, only for the officer to grab him and pull him back.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Let go of me!" Judai yelled, flailing. "He's in trouble! I have to help him! Let me go!"

By then, Majiramon had grabbed hold of DoruGreymon and lifted him into the air with ease. The Deva threw the red dragon, leading to a panic as the gathered officers scrambled to get out of the way. The man beside Judai dragged him down in time to keep both of them from being hit. DoruGreymon hit the ground and slid, stopping only after his back hit one of the many nearby buildings.

Judai pushed himself up and moved away before the officer could grab him again. Several feet away, his partner was attempting to push himself back up. The sound of stomping made Judai look to see Majiramon approaching the downed dragon, a smug look on the Deva's face.

"You were so sure of yourself," Majiramon sneered. "That was your first mistake, my friend. The second was ever believing that you could ever beat me."

Panic set in. "Get up! Get up, now!" Judai screamed. His heart pounded in his ears. "DoruGreymon, please, you gotta get up!"

The teenager's pleas drew Majiramon's attention. Swinging his head around, the green dragon narrowed his eyes and diverted his path to walk towards Judai. The blond scrambled away, fear in his eyes.

"I tire of your incessant screeching, boy. I do believe it is time I quieted you down."

With a quick swing of his hand, Majiramon snatched Judai up, his grip tight. Judai attempted to squirm, but found that he couldn't move anything but his head due to the Deva's grasp. Seeing that the boy was frightened, Majiramon's mouth twisted into a wide grin.

"This is what you deserve for trying to defy Lady Laylamon. Once you are dead, I will delete your precious partner and help to take over this world."

"E-even if you did, my friends will stop you." There was no confidence in his voice; he knew that he probably sounded like a frightened child.

"You truly believe that, don't you? I did not come to this world alone. I assure you, your friends will be fighting for their lives." Majiramon titled his head to the side, tapping the tip of his claw against Judai's head. "How should I kill you? Should I rip out your tiny little throat? Rip off your head? Pull you apart limb from limb?"

'Afraid' didn't quite describe how Judai felt. 'Terrified' was a better term.

He was about to die.

"Any last words?"

"Leave. Him. Alone!"

Both swung their heads around to see DoruGreymon standing on his feet. He glared, fury in his eyes, and leapt forward. He shifted and rammed his shoulder into Majiramon; the hit forced the Deva to let go of Judai, who was caught by the nearby officer. Snarling, DoruGreymon dug his teeth into Majiramon's throat once again and dragged the green dragon across the ground like a ragdoll. The next moment the Deva was flung up into the air and slammed back down with enough force to crack the concrete. DoruGreymon let go, allowing Majiramon to get to his feet, only to shoot out a metal ball that sent the dragon crashing into several abandoned food stands.

"No one hurts my partner and gets away with it," DoruGreymon growled.

It was clear that Majiramon hadn't been expecting the sudden turn of tide in the battle, as he was staring at DoruGreymon with a dumbfounded expression.

"And if you think I'm just to let you win and terrorize this world, then you're stupid."

DoruGreymon jumped up and slammed down onto Majiramon, pinning him down, and put his face right in front of the green dragon's.

"Any last words?"

"You will never beat Laylamon."

Baring his teeth, DoruGreymon stabbed the bladed tip of his tail into Majiramon's chest. The dragon exploded, leaving DoruGreymon to absorb his data. Judai let out a cheer, throwing his hands up, and ran over as his partner reverted to his Rookie stage. Grabbing hold of him, Judai hefted Dorumon up and hugged him tightly.

"Are you okay?" Dorumon asked once he had been put back down.

"A little sore, but just fine! If it hadn't been for you, I would've gotten crushed."

Dorumon smiled sheepishly. "It was nothing. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Doru! Honestly!"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Dorumon wrapped his arms around Judai's leg. "I thought I wasn't gonna make it in time."

"I had faith," Judai stated with a grin. "So…what now?"

"You're coming with us."

Jumping, the two turned to see the officer that caught Judai standing there with his arms crossed. "We'll need you to answer a few questions."

Nervous, Judai looked at Dorumon and tried to look confident.